Manresa burns for second time in four years [Update]

1of 3David Kinch, the chef and owner of Manresa in Los Gatos, Calif., on Wednesday, May 7, 2014.Photo: Sarah Rice, Special to The Chronicle

2of 3Diners have dinner at Manresa in Los Gatos, Calif., on Sunday, February 22nd, 2015.Photo: John Storey / Special to the Chronicle

3of 3Manresa in Los Gatos, Calif., on Wednesday, May 7, 2014.Photo: Sarah Rice / Special to The Chronicle

Almost four years ago to the day after a 2014 blaze shuttered Manresa in Los Gatos for months, the Michelin three-star restaurant has again suffered fire damage.

According to Santa Clara County fire Capt. Bill Murphy, firefighters responded to a fire at the restaurant at around 9 p.m. Monday. Upon arrival, a crew found the exterior wall of the restaurant and an adjoining fence on fire, he said. The blaze was contained within about 15 minutes, he added.

The business is normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and no injuries were reported.

“There was a small extension of the fire into the attic,” Murphy said. “The fire was primarily contained to the exterior wall and fence.”

Manresa, run by one of the country’s best chefs in David Kinch, was shuttered in 2014 after a two-alarm fire swept through the building. According to reports, that fire caused more than $2 million in damage, forcing Kinch and his team to close for the remainder of the year before reopening in early 2015.

Since then, Manresa has maintained its status as one of the country’s premier fine dining destinations, and one of only seven in the Bay Area with the coveted three-star Michelin Guide rating. Manresa has also been a regular presence on the Chronicle Top 100 list, and food critic Michael Bauer has given the business four stars. Kinch also owns the Bywater in Los Gatos.

Update, 7/18: In a statement, chef-owner David Kinch said no one was in the restaurant when the fire started, and the restaurant is closed until further notice. "The cause of the fire is being investigated," he said. "As a result, the restaurant is currently closed and we will provide updates as available."

Justin Phillips joined the San Francisco Chronicle in November 2016 as a food writer. He previously served as the City, Industry, and Gaming reporter for the American Press in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He extensively covered the growth and transformation of Southwest Louisiana’s multibillion dollar energy sector. Justin also served as a columnist for the American Press where he won a Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press Media Editors award for his weekly food column. In the past, Justin spent time working in the newsrooms of the Contra Costa Times, the Tri Valley Herald, and the Oakland Tribune. He studied journalism at Louisiana Tech University.